Participatory - more students can participate compared to a class discussion (think-pair-shares and other small group cooperative learning techniques can make face-to-face conversations more participatory)
Provides equal opportunity for students to express themselves
Increased participation, especially moderated discussion, can lead to a greater sense of class community
Change dynamics of writing assignments
Changes dynamics of who has knowledge – ClassBrain
Accountability & assessment - easy to document who has contributed to the conversation and what they have contributed
Less threatening than speaking in front of peers for many students
"Wait time" is built in - Students can reflect, formulate ideas, compose, edit, and refine their ideas before expressing them to the group
A form of peer review
Moodle forums have an option so that students can only see others' answers when they post their own
Easier to cite class readings, research, or previous discussions
Many kids do not like to write or have difficulty writing - (consider a wider set of media for student "writing" - make it multimodal)
Kids need direct instruction, practice, and feedback to become quality contributors. This is not natural at first. Without instruction, critics may not be "nice" or offer worthwhile feedback
Can’t see other participants facial expressions or hear other cues
Can be overwhelming if multiple assignments or too many posts are there – This might lead students to disengage or to think more superficially
Without instruction, students are likely to write to instructor, not each other, creating a teacher-centric discussion
